Maria Soto-Santa Laces Up for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger

On May 2, Maria Soto-Santa, of Milford, laced up for Project Bread’s 53rd annual Walk for Hunger, personally raising more than $1,000 to help get food to kids and families during the continuing COVID-19 hunger crisis. . She was among thousands of virtual participants to walk in their own neighborhoods. At present, the Walk for Hunger has raised over $1.1 million for statewide hunger relief programs.

“As the pandemic continues to take a financial toll on people and entire communities, we must do everything we can to help the 1 in 6 households struggling to afford food,” says Erin McAleer, CEO of Project Bread. “Participating in Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger is one way we can all do something real to make sure our neighbors can get food to meet their most basic need. Our community of Heart & Sole participants like Maria, has shown, together we have the power to create meaningful change. This year it is especially important to take action.”

After participating as a teen, this is Soto-Santa’s second year hitting the pavement for the event virtually raising more than $1000 each year. In 2021, she walked in honor of a loved one lost in 2020, a woman who helped raise her and instill in her the importance of helping others in their hour of need.

“It's needless to say, the last year and a half has been riddled with tragedy, hardship and loss, and yet, at the cusp of a silver lining, is the idea that in the midst of this pandemic we have rallied together and reminded one another that despite tragedy our humanity persists,” says Soto-Santa. “By participating in the Walk for Hunger, I am helping those who have gone hungry under the weight of this seemingly never-ending pandemic. It is our human and moral obligation to lend a helping hand, to stretch our hands out and say ‘Don't worry, I'm here for you and I've got you.’”

Money raised through the virtual Walk funds Project Bread’s hunger-relief response work during the ongoing pandemic and beyond, to ensure kids have reliable access to food, directly helping individuals and families, and advocating at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Walk funds are also supporting community organizations that are helping people access food during the crisis and ensuring communities have the resources necessary to respond to the hunger crisis now and over the long road to recovery ahead.

Likeminded organizations that fundraised as part of The Commonwealth program by forming teams raised money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort. This year 28 nonprofits participated in this program and raised more than $165,000 and counting, toward their own anti-hunger local efforts to be awarded in grants later this year.

Historically, the Walk for Hunger, the nation’s oldest continual pledge walk, takes place the first Sunday of May on the Boston Common. This year’s event included Facebook Live check-ins throughout the day with McAleer, elected officials, including Senator Sal DiDomenico and State Representative Andy Vargas, and with messages from national hunger leader, Congressman Jim McGovern, as well as Attorney General Maura Healy, MA Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Amy Kershaw, MA, along with Project Bread employees, individual walkers and volunteers posting and sharing their experiences along their neighborhood routes and why they are walking to help end hunger. Families with kids, people with dogs, and teams of corporate employees, many of whom haven’t seen each other in more than a year, all found creative ways to infuse feelings of unity and connectedness into the day virtually, on social media.

During the event, Project Bread honored Catalina López-Ospina with the Patrick Hughes Award for Social Justice for her work as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Food Access in Boston, helping to fill gaps in food access for individuals and families and expand the city’s anti-hunger efforts. The Award recognizes an individual with an unyielding commitment to driving meaningful change by addressing the causes of hunger, thus carrying forward the spirit of the event’s founder, Patrick Hughes.

“Our walk community always inspires us,” says McAleer. “The people of Massachusetts showed up in a big way even during a pandemic. From hosting virtual auctions, to doing family fitness challenges and co-worker relay races, to running alpaca photobooths and walking their own routes, people found a way to raise awareness and money to help those who need it most. Their efforts speak to the potential we have as a community working together to drive change and that is a message that resonates with everyone.”

Donations and personal fundraisers will continue to be made through June 30. To support the Walk for Hunger, visit: www.projectbread.org/walk.

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

###